George was left devastated after remembering he left $30,000 (around £25,000) in an old couch he donated to charity.
He hopes that his “expensive mistake” will transform someone’s life for the better.
George called the charity shop as soon as he remembered what he had done, but they told him the couch was sold within “a couple of days” of being donated.
The staff at the charity shop checked the delivery records, only to find the furniture was picked up, making it impossible to trace who bought it.
George told 7news.com: “I think the bit that really hurts is that I’ve done this to myself, and I can’t believe how bloody stupid I was, honestly.
“I really did have to stop and say, ‘You’re human, you made a mistake, if you don’t repeat it you’ve learned a valuable lesson — and an expensive one’.
“I’ll move on. It just hurts.”
As George was in the process of moving and downsizing, he decided to sell some of his furniture that wouldn’t fit in his new accommodation.
The couch was part of a five-piece set and George decided to donate three of them.
It wasn’t until weeks after he had donated the couch that he realised and remembered he had left his life savings stuffed inside.
He has posted online since offering a reward so that he might get some of the money back.
But if that doesn’t happen, he is holding out hope that perhaps he has gifted someone a better life.
He concluded: “If I get a portion back, I’ll be happy. But I think it’s gone.
“There are a lot of people in dire need. Maybe it’ll transform someone’s life.”
